Monarch Academy public charter schools are tuition-free public charter schools that aim to educate Laurel students to be self-motivated, creative, critical thinkers and life-long learners who are productive contributors to the global community in the 21 st century. At Monarch Academy, children are encouraged to think critically; question; reflect; and participate in a rigorous, highly interactive instructional program that integrates arts and technology across the curriculum.

The Children's Guild

The Children’s Guild is a nonprofit, child-serving organization dedicated to serving children and adolescents with trauma disorders, who have been traumatized by life experiences or who have autism spectrum disorder and/or multiple disabilities in Maryland and Washington D.C. Founded in 1953, The Children’s Guild has become one of the largest providers of special education, group living, treatment foster care and family mental health services in Maryland.

The Children’s Guild programs are guided by Transformation Education (TranZed), an organizational philosophy that fosters a culture of flexibility. This culture creates management and staff who are agile thinkers. This assures children are treated as individuals and taught the way they learn best.

TranZed also infuses the beliefs and values of The Children’s Guild into the look of its physical environment, child-caring and educational approaches, the mindset of its employees, and its operating systems. The design of the physical environment and the approaches used to care for and educate children are based on the newest findings in neuroscience, and therefore creates an enriched, brain-compatible environment. This philosophy has been proven to: